Improvements relating to drilling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A drilling apparatus ( 1 ) is for use on a rotary drilling rig with a top drive which enables circulation and rotation of a drill string ( 3 ) to continue uninterrupted during the making of drill string connections. It has a snubber gripping mechanism ( 10, 9 ) to enable tool joints ( 2, 3 ) to be supported and gripped with a reduced pressure chamber ( 5 ) volume and snubbing force, during tool joint connections. The gripping mechanism has gripping pads ( 14 ) arranged to move radially by relative rotation of a drive cylinder ( 34 ) causing a tapered surface ( 36 ) of the drive cylinder ( 34 ) to press against or release the pad ( 14 ). A guide cylinder ( 30 ) supports and guides the pads ( 14 ) and collets ( 13 ) for retaining a drill string at an upset shoulder ( 19 ).

INTRODUCTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to drilling apparatus, especially for drilling forhydrocarbons.

Prior Art Discussion

My prior published PCT patent specification WO2012/0176182 describes anapparatus in which joints are made or broken within a pressure chamber.Snubbers below and above the chamber take over the drive from a topdrive, and apply a differential torque so that a connection may be made.The apparatus therefore achieves both continuous mud circulation andcontinuous rotation while making or breaking connections.

The pressure chamber is at the mud operating pressure so thatcirculation is continuous during disconnections and the pressure chambercan be segregated into two parts so that the upper part can bedepressurised to release and accept tubulars.

It is known that snubbers can comprise chucks which move axially to griponto the drill string, akin to the chuck of a lathe for example. Howevera problem with such a mechanism is that considerable volume is requiredin the axial direction and/or radial direction. This leads to theproblems of designing a drilling apparatus that is: a) short enough inheight to fit or retro-fit on many existing drilling rigs and/or b)compact enough to limit the size of the pressure chamber around the tooljoint connection.

The invention addresses these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a drilling apparatus foruse on a rotary drilling rig with a top drive which enables circulationand rotation of a drill string to continue uninterrupted during themaking of drill string connections, wherein the apparatus comprises atool joint gripping mechanism arranged to rotate at the same speed as adrill string and comprising gripping pads arranged to move radiallyrelative to a drill string tubular or upset, and a drive to drive thepads radially relative to a drill string tubular or upset.

In one embodiment, the gripping pads are wedge-shaped, with a taperedsurface upon which a gripping force is exerted and a contact surface forcontacting a drill string or tubular.

In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism comprises one or more drivecylinders each having an internal wedge profile which, on relativerotation, moves the pads radially to contact and grip a tool.

In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism comprises a guide to restrainthe pads to move radially. In one embodiment, the drive is arranged torotate the drive cylinder and the guide at the same speed, and tointroduce a temporary relative movement to cause radial movement of thepad. Preferably, each of the drive cylinder and the guide comprises aflange which is engaged by a drive member to rotate.

In one embodiment, the drive member comprises a gear. In one embodiment,the guide and the drive cylinder overlap in the radial direction.

In one embodiment, the guide and the drive cylinder are at leastpartially offset in the axial direction so that they do not overlap inthe radial direction for at least some of the axial dimension of thepad. In one embodiment, the guide comprises guide rings engaging upperand lower parts of the pad and the drive cylinder is arranged to engagethe pad between said guide rings.

In one embodiment, the guide comprises at least one drive shaftinterconnecting said guide rings.

In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism comprises collets arranged toengage an upset at a shoulder with a tubular, and a collet drivearranged to move the collet radially with respect to the tubular orupset.

In one embodiment, the collet is adjacent to the pad in the axialdirection.

In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism comprises one or more drivecylinders each having an internal wedge profile which, on relativerotation, moves the pads radially to contact and grip a tool, andwherein said guide cylinder includes a port for the pad and a port forthe collet.

In one embodiment, the collet drive and the pad drive areinterconnected.

In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a pressure chamber and twogripping mechanisms including an upper gripping mechanism arranged toengage a tubular or upset above the pressure chamber and a lowermechanism arranged to engage a tubular or upset below the pressurechamber.

In one embodiment, said gripping mechanisms are snubbers.

In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism comprises seals arranged toact on a tool joint upset immediately adjacent to and above and below ablind ram or valve that segregates a pressure chamber into two parts.

In one embodiment, the pads and seals are arranged to contact an upperupset and the apparatus comprises a lower gripping mechanism havinggrips and seals arranged to contact a lower upset while leaving spacefor an open blind ram or valve between them when a tool joint isconnected.

In one embodiment, the collets and the pads are held in place by akeyway or ridge in the drive cylinder and are releasable by anadditional rotation of the drive cylinder to facilitate inspection andreplacement, being as they.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a jack arranged tolift the gripping mechanism relative to a blind ram or valve or of theblind ram or valve relative to a lower gripping mechanism to provideseparation to inspect the gripping mechanisms.

In one embodiment, the lower gripping mechanism collets are configuredto support a tool joint box upset shoulder (20) before the collets ofthe upper mechanism are closed and lowered to interfere with a tooljoint pin upset shoulder.

In one embodiment, the collets provide a fail-safe support for the tooljoint upset, such that the collets of the lower mechanism cannot retractuntil the drill string weight is taken off the collets and the colletsof the upper mechanism cannot be retracted until the snubbing force isremoved.

In one embodiment, the pad drive and the collet drive are related bydifferential gearing.

In one embodiment, the differential gearing comprises planet gearsarranged such that movements of planet gears can alter the rotaryrelationship between the drives.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of operation of adrilling apparatus as defined above in any embodiment, wherein themethod comprises the steps of driving the gripping mechanisms so thatthe pads and the collets rotate at the same speed as a drill string, andretarding or advancing the pad drive to radially move the pad relativeto the drill string.

In one embodiment, the apparatus is fixed to a rig floor and anextension sub in the drill string enables a bit to drill on duringconnections with a predetermined weight on bit.

In one embodiment, the apparatus is mounted on a hoist to allow verticalmotion during connections and therefore enable continuous drilling andcontinuous tripping if required on new rigs.

In one embodiment, a pin upset is moved away from a box upset by thedepth of the pin plus a distance to allow blind ram or valve to closeand to allow mud to flow into the drill string below and out of atubular above.

Detailed Description of the Invention

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdescription of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example onlywith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of a drillingapparatus of the invention, the views being the same but with differentparts labelled, for clarity;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are similar diagrams all illustrating a guide cylinder,a collet drive cylinder and a grips drive cylinder, but with differentparts labelled, for clarity;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional plan views showing radial movement ofthe (“thick”) grips and collet, respectively in the apparatus of FIGS. 1to 6;

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are perspective views of a guide cylinder, a colletdrive cylinder, and a grips drive cylinder of this apparatus,respectively;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view showing dimensions of thedrilling apparatus of the above drawings;

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of an alternativedrilling apparatus according to this invention, incorporating guiderings and “thin” grips; leading to smaller lateral dimensions;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of“thin” grips, guide rings, and grips drive cylinder in the drillingapparatus of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are plan cross sections along the lines shown in FIG.14, through the grip and through the guide ring respectively; and

FIGS. 17 and 18 show plan cross sections through the gripping mechanismsof FIGS. 1 and 13, to illustrate the driving forces achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 11 a drilling apparatus 1 comprises thefollowing:

-   2, tubular, being added to or removed from a drill string 3;-   4, upper snubber, driven by snubber drives 10;-   5, pressure chamber with seals 6;-   7, blind ram for dividing the chamber 5;-   8, mud inlets and outlets for continuous circulation in a lower    chamber half during tubular addition or removal;-   9, lower snubber and drill string drive;-   11, 12 tool joint upset pin, tool joint upset box,-   13, 14, 15 upper collets, grips and seals of the upper snubber,-   16, 17, 18 lower seals, grips and collets of the lower snubber,-   19, 20 tool joint upset (pin) shoulder, tool joint upset (box)    shoulder chamber seals, upper and lower,-   21, pressure chamber internal diameter,-   22, blind ram or valve bore,-   23, travel of pin out of box,-   24, jack to raise snubber above the blind ram 7,-   25, jack to raise blind ram above drill string drive 9,-   26, jack to raise the apparatus,-   27, rig floor on which the apparatus is mounted,-   28, apparatus base, if not mounted on the rig floor,-   30, 31 upper snubber guide cylinder- and drive,-   32, 33 upper snubber collet drive cylinder and drive, and 41,    internal tapered surface of the collets drive cylinder;-   34, 35 upper snubber grips drive cylinder and drive, and 36 internal    tapered surface of the grips drive cylinder;-   37, width of both cylinders (guide and drive),-   38, grips retaining key, sliding in the grips drive cylinder keyway-   39, wedge angle of ˜9½°,-   40, centres of curvature,-   42, collet retaining key, sliding in the collet drive cylinder    keyway-   43, gear wheel for engaging a drive such as a spur gear 31,-   44, ports for the collets,-   45, ports for the grips,-   46, collets gear teeth, driven by collets drive spur gear 33,-   48, grips drive cylinder gear wheel, driven by spur gear 35,-   49, piston rings to seal with pressure chamber-   61, guide cylinder width, ˜32 mm,-   62, drive cylinder max width, ˜64 mm,-   63, pressure chamber bore, ˜432 mm,-   64, travel of pin out of box, ˜203 mm,-   65, travel of upper snubber away from valve, 100 mm,-   66, travel of valve away from drill string drive, 100 mm,-   67, valve bore, 229 mm,-   68, dimension, overall width, ˜1067 mm,

The overall height is about 1092 mm,

In the apparatus 1 gripping by a snubber is achieved by acircumferential taper which, as it rotates, presses the grips 14radially to grip the tool joint upset 11. This saves considerable spacein the axial direction enabling the sliding seals in the pressurechamber wall to be reduced from a diameter of approximately 584 mm downto approximately 432 mm in the case of concentric cylinders (apparatus1, a described below), or 381 mm in the case of the apparatus 70. This,in turn, reduces the snubbing force, from a possible 900 tonnes (at achamber pressure of 345 bar), down to a more manageable 500 tonnes or400 tonnes respectively. This is also necessary because high snubbingforces directly relate to increased size and weight of the jacks andlonger actuation times.

The radial wedges or ‘grips’ 14 have teeth on the inside curved surfaceto grip the tool joint upset 11 and transmit torque; and a smoothoutside curved surface to slide within the smooth internal curvedprofile 36 of the drive cylinder 34. Thus, when the drive cylinder 34rotates faster than the grips 14, the grips 14 are forced inwards andinto contact with the tool joint upset 11. When the drive cylinder 34rotates slower than the grips, the grips 14 are retracted outwards andaway from contact with the tool joint upset 11. When the drive cylinder34 is rotating at the same speed as the grips 14, the grips 14 do notmove radially inwards or outwards. The gradient of the radial wedges issimilar to the gradient used typically in axial slips of approximately 1in 6, or 9.5°.

The invention avoids problems associated with the known methods forgripping drilling tubulars (including wrenches, rotating rollers, Kellybushing, or vice jaws). The prior approaches require mechanical,electric or hydraulic actuation, which requires significant space.Additionally, transmission of such mechanical, electric or hydraulicpower to the rotating collets, wedges or seals is complex.

The curved wedge-shaped grips 14 occupy approximately half of the radialspace of conventional gripping mechanisms, without requiring additionalvertical space. This enables the diameter of the upper and lowersnubbers to be reduced by about 152 mm and approximately halves thesnubbing force to about 400 to 500 tonnes, as above. This allows spaceto ‘park’ the blind ram 7 or valve between the upper and lower snubberswhen the tool joint is connected, enabling the bore of the blind ram orvalve to be minimised to the bore of the apparatus.

In more detail, the drilling apparatus 1 assumes concentric cylinders;an outer drive cylinder 34 with internal wedging profile 41 and an innerconcentric guide cylinder 30 to guide the collets 13, wedges 14 or seals15.

FIG. 3 illustrates and labels the jacks 24, 25, and 26 required toseparate the snubber from the drill string drive, by some 203 mm, beingshared equally by the upper and lower jacks (24 and 25). The apparatus 1may be used on the rig floor 27 in conjunction with an extension sub(“Xsub”) to allow the drill string 3 to extend. The jack 26 enables theapparatus to be raised to access any tool joint. However, when used on anew rig and mounted on a vertical hoist, the apparatus 1 will be lightenough to facilitate continuous drilling and tripping, working inharmony with a top drive (not shown) and automated tubular 2 handlingsystem.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the upper snubber in more detail. Rotation of theseals, grips and collets is achieved by the guide cylinder 30 ofinternal bore 229 mm and thickness of ˜38 mm, sufficient to transmit thenecessary torque to the upper snubber to make or break a tool jointconnection. The guide cylinder 30 is mounted on a bearing of sufficientstrength to apply the high snubbing force when the tubular 2 has to beinserted into the pressure chamber 5, and it is rotated by a guidecylinder drive 31.

The grips drive cylinder 34 is rotated by the drive gear 35 and, whenrotated faster or slower than the guide cylinder 30 it causes the grips14 to move in or out of contact with the tool joint upset.

The collet cylinder 32 is rotated by the collet cylinder drive gear 33,and it can have the same internal profile as the grips drive cylinder34. It is required to act separately from the drive cylinder, since thecollets 13 are actuated before the tool joint lands and after itdeparts. The purpose of the collets 13 is to retain the drill string 3in place by acting on the taper 19 at the upper end of the riser 11. Ingeneral it is not applying pressure, only when there is an upward forceapplied to the tubulars 2 on the top side of the pressure chamber. Ofcourse, the lower collets 18 act likewise for downward force of thetubulars 2 below the pressure chamber 5.

FIG. 7 shows the grips drive cylinder 34 internal profile 36, with aslope or wedge angle of some 9½°. The grips 14 are thick enough to slidethrough the guide cylinder 30 ports 45 (FIG. 9) and are slidablyattached to the grips drive cylinder 34 by retaining keys 38 sliding ina keyway in the curved face 36 of the grips drive cylinder 34. Whenthere is no tubular within the apparatus 1, the grips 14 may be rotatedenough to slide the keys 38 out of the keyway and release the grips 14for inspection or replacement.

FIG. 8 shows the collets drive cylinder 32 of similar profile 41 to thatof the grips drive cylinder 34 and the same radial drive principlesapply. The collets drive cylinder 32 will be rotated a predeterminedamount to ensure that the collets interfere with the upset shoulder 19without gripping the tubular shaft. As shown in FIG. 9 the guidecylinder 30 has ports 44 for the collets 13 in addition to ports 45 forthe grips 14.

Regarding the sequence of operation, the collets 13 of the drill stringdrive are moved into place and locked in place in the ports 44, beforethe tool joint upset 11 is landed on the collets 13 to interfere withthe upset shoulder of the tool joint. The drive cylinder 32 for thecollets is independent of the grips drive cylinder 34, thereby makingthe motion of the collets 13 independent of the motion of the wedges orgrips 14. Because the shoulder of the box upset 11 is only 20°±2° to thevertical, the mounting of collets 13 in the drill string drive isallowed to move laterally, just sufficiently to allow the drill stringto be subsequently centralized by the grips 14, thus allowing thegripping force between the grips to balance out.

In the case of the collets 13 of the snubber, these are moved into placeafter the drill string 3 has landed on the collets of the drill stringdrive 9 before disconnections, or after a new tubular 2 is inserted intothe snubber 10. In either case, the snubber 10 may move downwards toallow the collets 13 to engage the shoulder of the pin tool joint upset,before all of the grips 14 and seals are actuated to engage the tooljoint upset 11.

Since the seals, grips and collets need to be replaced when worn, andbecause of the limited travel required, they are devised as replaceableinserts, which are sized to suit each particular drill pipe size 168 mm,152 mm, 149 mm, 140 mm, 127 mm, 114 mm, 102 mm, (and even 89 mm, 73 mm,& 67 mm). This allows the apparatus 1 actuation to be a modest fixedtravel for all the seals and grips of ˜19 mm (plus up to 6 mm for anytool joint upset wear); and 25 mm for the collets; regardless of thedrill pipe size from 67 mm to 168 mm (being tool joint upset diametersof 89 mm to 102 mm).

It will be appreciated that in various embodiments there is a drivecylinder with a wedging internal profile which rotates relative to thegrips, such that the grips are forced inwards or retracted outwards.This relative rotation may be provided as shown by drive gears 35 or bya concentric guide cylinder or concentric guide discs guiding the grips,or by chain. This provides a compact and simple mechanical actuation,which: minimises the volume and weight of the pressure chamber 5;minimises the diameter of the pressure vessel and therefore minimisesthe force necessary to snub the tubular and drill string into thepressure vessel.

It will also be appreciated that the collets, grips and seals can beeasily removed for inspection and replacement by sliding out of thekeyways shown 38 and 42 and may also be sized to perfectly suit eachsize of tool joint upset dimensions. The travel of these collets, gripsand seals from their retracted positions to contact with the tool jointupsets is therefore minimised to less than 25 mm, including theadditional travel when the tool joint upset is worn. These replaceablecollets, grips and seals can therefore accommodate most tool jointsizes.

The apparatus minimises the travel of the seals, grips and collets, sothat inserts can be used appropriate to each standard tool joint sizeplus moderate wear; minimises the bore 22 of the blind ram or valve 7;and minimises the travel 23 of the pin 11 from the box 12; and minimisesthe height, weight, complexity and cost of the drilling apparatus 1.

The sealing between the pressure chamber 5 wall, which contains theblind ram or valve 7, and the upper snubber 10 above and the lowersnubber or drill string drive 9 below, can be effected using piston ringtechnology 49, as developed for marine diesel engines, not hithertoapplied to drilling equipment.

When the guide and drive components in the upper snubber 10 rotate atthe same speed, the collets, grips and seals in the upper snubber do notmove radially. Likewise, when the guide and drive components in thedrill string drive 9 rotate at the same speed the collets, grips andseals in the drill string drive do not move radially. However in bothcases when there is a difference in rotation between the guide and drivecomponents, the collets, grips or seals are actuated to move radially.

This travel of the pin out of and away from the box of approximately 203mm is shared between the vertical movement of the pressure chamber wallrelative to the drill string drive of approximately 102 mm and themovement of the snubber relative to the pressure chamber ofapproximately 102 mm.

Because the gripping mechanism of the invention is applied to the tooljoint upset 11 instead of to the tubular shafts or bodies 2, thegripping force to achieve sufficient torque to rotate the drill stringplus break a connection may be increased to 108 k Nm or even 136 k Nm,compared to conventional torque of some 88 k. This will be limited bythe hoop strength of the drive cylinder and torsional strength of guidecylinder or discs, and the power limit of the gear train, for whichspecial high strength materials may usefully be chosen.

The grips 17 of the drill string drive 9 are positioned to grip the boxtool joint below the threaded parts. (of some 127 mm) to minimisedistortion of the threads, which could otherwise overly affect thenecessary breaking and intended making up torques.

The simple mechanical drive cylinder and guides concept significantlyminimises the number of components and/or moving parts, which shouldalso increase reliability and minimise cost.

To achieve continuous drilling, the drill bit will be able to drillahead during connections at a known constant “WOB” (weight on bit) byeither lowering the drilling apparatus during connections or,particularly when applied to existing drilling rigs, where the availableheight is limited, inserting an extending sub or tubular, (Xsub), in thedrill string close to the neutral point, being approximately above, orclose to the top of, the drill collars or the HWDP (Heavy Weight DrillPipe) section, which is addressed in a separate patent.

Choosing high strength materials to apply sufficient gripping, with thegrips (curved wedge) radial dimension from 19 mm to 44 mm and the drivecylinder varying in thickness from 19 mm to 57 mm, the internal diameterof the pressure chamber may be reduced to approximately 356 mm, whichwould reduce the snubbing forces to 344 tonnes (at 345 bar drillingfluid operating pressure) or 516 tonnes (at 517 bar).

The seals, grips and collets are preferably equally spaced around thetool joint, there being two or more of each (preferably three of each asshown in illustrations). Though some compliance in the mounting of thecollets and their drive cylinders, will enable the grips to subsequentlycentralize the tubular and drill string prior to connection ordisconnection and balance the gripping forces.

In one mode of use, first the lower collets 18 are closed so that thenext box tool joint upset shoulder (17 b) can ‘land’ on them, thuszeroing the distances of the grips, seals, valve and collets above tomatch the tool joint dimensions. Once landed the upper collets 13 closeand move down to find the pin tool joint upset shoulder 19. Then allgrips and seals move inwards to contact the joint upset 11. Then thepressure chamber 5 fills with drilling fluid up to the circulatingpressure and the tool joint can be broken, separated and the valveclosed, so that the upper chamber can be de-pressured, opened and a newtubular inserted.

FIG. 12, together with the other drawings, shows advantageous aspects asfollows:

-   -   The radial wedge mechanism with two concentric cylinders enables        the pressure chamber diameter to be reduced to 432 mm, which        halves the snubbing forces that would be required with        conventional actuation.    -   With 127 mm to 152 mm long grips and 51 mm long seals on the pin        upset lengths of 203 mm and with the box upset length of 254 mm        enough space is left to park the open valve of width ˜76 mm        between the snubber and drill string drive. So, the valve bore        can reduce to the 229 mm bore of the apparatus.    -   With a thinner valve blade, the separation of pin and box is        minimised, for example, to 203 mm, with the valve moving        vertically by some 102 mm relative to both the snubber and the        drill string drive, which enables the snubber and drill string        drive to have identical components.    -   Two differential gear boxes drive the guide, grips drive and        collets drive cylinders, in either the snubber or the drill        string drive, and enable the rotation of the cylinders to be        accurately related, and the torques to be accurately applied.    -   One main differential gear box drives the snubber and drill        string drive, enabling the rotation of the snubber and drill        string drive to be accurately related and torques, to make or        break the connection, to be accurately applied.    -   Using keyways in the grips and collets drive cylinders enables        the grips and collets to be retracted from contact with the tool        joint and by rotating further the keys can slide out of the        keyways to release the grips or collets for inspection or        replacement.

Alternative Drilling Apparatus, 70

An alternative drilling apparatus, 70, with a gripping mechanism of theupper snubber and the lower snubber is shown in more detail in FIGS. 13to 16 and 18. The guide cylinder of the previous embodiment is replacedby two guide rings 71, above and below a grips drive cylinder 72. Thisenables the grips 75 to be of a reduced thickness to reach the tooljoint upset without the thickness of the guide cylinder in between. Thisminimises the diameter of the drive cylinder 72, which minimises theinternal diameter of the pressure chamber and hence the snubbing forcesrequired to contain the operating pressure of the pressure chamber,which may be 345 bar or even 500 bar or higher.

-   70, Drilling apparatus,-   71, guide rings, width ˜38 mm,-   72, grips drive cylinder, max width ˜70 mm,-   73, pressure chamber bore ˜380 mm,-   74, travel of pin out of box ˜203 mm,-   75, thin grips max width ˜38 mm,-   76, gears and shaft connecting the guide discs,-   77, valve bore 375 mm,-   78, overall width ˜864 mm,-   80, actuation of grips drive cylinder between 2 guide discs,-   83, minimum thickness ˜38 mm,-   84, maximum thickness ˜76 mm,-   85, gear shafts connecting guide discs,-   87, total thickness ˜76 mm,

The overall height is about 1100 mm,

The guide cylinders of the apparatus 1 may be replaced by guide rings,above and below the grips drive cylinder wedge profile. The pressurechamber bore may be reduced to about 230 mm plus the drive cylinderwidth, which needs to be the depth of the wedge profile ˜38 mm, plussufficient width to contain the hoop stress ˜32 mm, plus a sealingdistance of some 6 mm; reducing the pressure chamber bore to 381 mm,which may, if extra strength materials are used, be reduced to 356 mm.

The collet 51 width of 51 mm to 76 mm is adequate to transfer the highsnubbing force on to the apparatus body and, in the case of the drillstring drive, the collets support the entire drill string weight. Theguide rings 71 are adequately strong to force the grips into wedgingcontact between the tool joint upset and drive cylinder profile, or tobreak such wedging contact. The drive cylinder 72 is strong enough towithstand the high hoop stress of the wedging action. The guide rings 71are connected structurally or, as shown, by gears 76 on a shaft 85 toensure that the forces on the top and bottom of the grips 75 arebalanced.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate the relationship between the drive cylinder72, the thin grips 75, and the tool joint upset 11 or 12 in thearrangement of the apparatus 70. The guide rings 71 being above andbelow the wedging profile of the drive cylinder, but connected by thegear shafts 85.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the seals 15 and 16 need only a radial motionof only about 25 mm to make contact with the tool joint and then thepressure of the drilling fluid within the pressure chamber adds to thesealing force. The seals are moved into place and retracted by themotion of the grips. In the case of the grips 14 and 17, the radialmotion of about 25 mm is achieved by rotating the drive cylinderrelative to the guide cylinder, so that the grips are moved radially.The grips move a short distance of only about 19 mm to contact the tooljoint and then the drive cylinder profile tightens up the grippingforce. This travel may be increased to 25 mm if the tool joint upset issignificantly worn down.

FIG. 17 is a representation of part of the gripping mechanism of theapparatus 1 for comparison purposes, with “thick” grips 14, drivecylinder 34, guide cylinder 30, and tool joint upset surface 11. Theforce “a” arises with the grips drive cylinder 34 rotating faster, andthe force “e” when it is slower. The guide cylinder 30 exertscorresponding guiding forces “d” and “b” respectively to retain the grip14 in the radial direction, and “c” denotes the radial force of the grip14.

FIG. 18 is a representation of part of the gripping mechanism of theapparatus 70 for comparison purposes, with the thin grips or wedges 75,drive cylinder 72, and guide rings 71. The forces are indicated by thesame letters as used in FIG. 17.

The further reduction in size provided by the apparatus 70 isillustrated in FIG. 18, wherein the guide cylinder 32 of the apparatus 1(shown in FIG. 17) is replaced by the two guide rings 71 which guideonly the top and bottom of the ‘thinner’ grips 75 with the grips drivecylinder 72 driving the middle of the grips 75. With high strengthmaterials this may further reduce the internal diameter of the pressurechamber to some 356 mm diameter and the snubbing force to some 344tonnes (if the operating pressure is raised to 345 bar) or some 525tonnes (if the operating pressure is raised to 500 bar).

It should be emphasised that the geometry is such that the locii of thecentres of curvature of the drive cylinder profile and the grips profileare not the same but close enough to be accommodated in the design ofthe guides of the guide cylinder. Using 120° (⅓ of the rotary plane) pergrip (if three grips are used) and using the 1 in 6 gradient, the radialtravel of each grip of ˜25 mm is more than adequate to allows for thereduced diameter of a worn tool joint.

It also allows for rotating the cylinders relative to each other by anextra 10° or so to allow the collets, grips and seals to be releasedfrom the keyways in the drive cylinders, for inspection or replacement.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a drilling apparatusfor allowing continuous circulation and rotation while adding orremoving tubulars from a drill string during the drilling of a well. Thecollets act on the shoulders of the tool joint upset and positively snubthe tubular and drill string into a pressure chamber, grips to grip thetool joint upsets and transmit torque to make or break tool jointconnections, seals to seal the tool joint upsets into the pressurechamber, blind ram or valve to separate the upper and lower parts of thepressure chamber.

The collets, or grips or seals are actuated by a mechanical system whichis simple and compact, to minimise the pressure chamber size and weight,the snubbing forces, the number of components, moving parts, and cost.The drive cylinder with a wedging internal profile, when rotatedrelative to the rotating collets, forces them inwards to support,contact or grip the tool joint upset. Such relative rotation is effectedby the drive cylinder rotating relative to a concentric guide cylinder,which is restraining the collets, grips or seals.

There may alternatively be guide discs or rings replacing the guidecylinder to guide the collets, grips or seal and achieve the relativemotion with the drive cylinder that achieves or relieves the wedgingactuation and thus further reducing the internal diameter of thepressure chamber and the drilling apparatus The collets, may be held inplace with keys sliding in keyways in the sloping or wedging face of thedrive cylinder. The collets may be released if, by rotation, the keysare released from the said keyways and thereby enabling collets, gripsor seals to be easily removed for inspection or replacement. The colletsmay be sized to suit the range of tool joint upset dimensions of thetypical range of drilling tubular sizes. The required tool jointseparation of the pin from the box may be shared between an axial motionof the snubber, which is an upper snubber, relative to the pressurechamber and an axial motion of the pressure chamber relative to thedrill string drive, which is a lower snubber.

The seals may be connected to the grips and moved into or out of placeby the movement of the grips and in which the seals can be furtheractuated by the drilling fluid pressure. The sealing between the upperand lower snubbers and the pressure chamber may be effected by pistonring technology. Also, there may be an extended jacking motion of eitherof the two snubbers relative to the pressure chamber, sufficiently toseparate them by some 152 mm to enable the collets, grips or seals to beeasily replaced.

It will be appreciated that the invention achieves the benefits of:

-   a) Replacing the conventional actuating mechanisms with a simple    compact mechanism, and/or-   b) providing improved gripping of drill string tubulars by gripping    the tool joint upsets, instead of the tubular shafts, and/or-   c) sealing against the tool joint upsets immediately above and below    the tool joint connection;-   d) reducing the bore of the blind ram or valve to the bore of the    apparatus, and/or-   e) achieving short travels, small mud volumes, fast connections.

It will also be appreciated that drilling apparatus of variousembodiments of the invention that have a gripping mechanism with aradially-moving wedge-shaped gripper (a “radial wedge”) enables some orall of the following:

-   -   A short machine in height (1 m to 2 m), to fit on many existing        drilling rigs. This is especially so because it can in many        instances grip the tool joint, rather than the tubular shaft.    -   The breaking or make-up connection torques to be increased        substantially by gripping the robust tool joint, clear of the        threaded sections.    -   Landing the tool joint and supporting the drill string within        the machine to ‘zero’ the location and eliminate the need for        ‘tagging’ time (minutes) before connections.    -   A small machine in width (1 m to 2 m), to minimise the weight (3        to 5 tonnes) to facilitate ‘skidding’ (installation and removal)        on the rig floor.    -   Fast connection times due to the small travel (˜25 mm) of: the        rotating collets (supporting the drill string and/or snubbing        the connection), the rotating grips (gripping the tool joint)        and the rotating seals (sealing against the tool joint).    -   Fast connection times due to the small pressure chamber volume        (<625 mm³) to be filled or drained of drilling fluid during        connections by having both seals inside the grips rather than        outside and directly adjacent to the blind ram or valve.    -   Fast connection times due to very fast mechanical actuation        times (5 to 10 seconds each) of the collets, grips and seals.    -   Snubbing forces reduced to a manageable level of 400 tonnes at        345 bar (or 600 tonnes at 517 bar) instead of some 700 tons at        345 bar, for any conventional actuation.    -   Jacking reduced to a 102 mm separation of snubber relative to        the valve, a 102 mm separation of Valve relative Drill String        Drive; plus a 152 mm additional extension of either jack, at no        internal pressure, to easily inspect or replace collets, grips &        seals, and piston rings.    -   Collets, grips and seals specifically sized for each standard        tool joint size to fit curvatures exactly and act on the tool        joint upset within a short distance (<25 mm).    -   Collets, grips and seals easily installed and held in place for        actuating or retracting, by sliding into, and along, keyways or        guides in the drive cylinders.    -   Few moving parts or components more than, preferably, 2 valve        blades, 4 drive cylinders with internal wedge profiles plus 2        guide cylinders, restraining the 6 collets, 6 grips & 6 seals,        to radial motion, thus reducing complexity to some 26 components        and increasing reliability.    -   The valve, segregating the pressure chamber into two parts and        capable of withstanding up to 345 bar, reduced from some 559 mm        bore to 229 mm bore, by ‘parking’ the open valve, between the        upper snubber and lower snubber, when the tool joint is        connected.    -   Application on the rig floor with an extension sub (“Xsub”) to        extend the drill string (for existing rigs); or application on a        hoist to facilitate vertical motion while connecting (for new        build rigs, facilitating continuous tripping).    -   The actuation geometry relies on the locii of the centres of        curvature (c of c) of the sliding surfaces between the grips and        the wedge profile being close enough to accommodate in the        mechanical design. (The locus of the c of c for the grips        sliding surface, moving in the guide cylinder or guide discs,        being ‘linear’; and the locus of the c of c of the sliding        surface of the internal wedge profile of the drive cylinder        being ‘an arc’; with a disparity, between the orientation of the        grips and drive sliding surfaces, being less than 1°).

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may bevaried in construction and detail.

1.-29. (canceled)
 30. A drilling apparatus for use on a rotary drillingrig with a top drive which enables circulation and rotation of a drillstring to continue uninterrupted during the making of drill stringconnections, wherein the apparatus comprises a tool joint grippingmechanism arranged to rotate at the same speed as a drill string andcomprising: gripping pads arranged to move radially relative to a drillstring tubular or upset, and a drive to drive the pads radially relativeto a drill string tubular or upset.
 31. The drilling apparatus asclaimed in claim 30, wherein the gripping pads are wedge-shaped, with atapered surface upon which a gripping force is exerted and a contactsurface for contacting a drill string or tubular.
 32. The drillingapparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the gripping mechanismcomprises one or more drive cylinders each having an internal wedgeprofile which, on relative rotation, moves the pads radially to contactand grip a tool.
 33. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30,wherein the gripping mechanism comprises one or more drive cylinderseach having an internal wedge profile which, on relative rotation, movesthe pads radially to contact and grip a tool; and wherein the grippingmechanism comprises a guide to restrain the pads to move radially. 34.The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the grippingmechanism comprises one or more drive cylinders each having an internalwedge profile which, on relative rotation, moves the pads radially tocontact and grip a tool; and wherein the gripping mechanism comprises aguide to restrain the pads to move radially; and wherein the drive isarranged to rotate the drive cylinder and the guide at the same speed,and to introduce a temporary relative movement to cause radial movementof the pad.
 35. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30, whereinthe gripping mechanism comprises one or more drive cylinders each havingan internal wedge profile which, on relative rotation, moves the padsradially to contact and grip a tool; and wherein the gripping mechanismcomprises a guide to restrain the pads to move radially; and wherein thedrive is arranged to rotate the drive cylinder and the guide at the samespeed, and to introduce a temporary relative movement to cause radialmovement of the pad; and wherein each of the drive cylinder and theguide comprises a flange which is engaged by a drive member to rotate.36. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the grippingmechanism comprises one or more drive cylinders each having an internalwedge profile which, on relative rotation, moves the pads radially tocontact and grip a tool; and wherein the gripping mechanism comprises aguide to restrain the pads to move radially; and wherein the drive isarranged to rotate the drive cylinder and the guide at the same speed,and to introduce a temporary relative movement to cause radial movementof the pad; and wherein each of the drive cylinder and the guidecomprises a flange which is engaged by a drive member to rotate whereinthe drive member comprises a gear.
 37. The drilling apparatus as claimedin claim 30, wherein the guide and the drive cylinder overlap in theradial direction.
 38. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30,wherein the guide and the drive cylinder are at least partially offsetin the axial direction so that they do not overlap in the radialdirection for at least some of the axial dimension of the pad; andwherein the guide comprises guide rings engaging upper and lower partsof the pad and the drive cylinder is arranged to engage the pad betweensaid guide rings.
 39. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30,wherein the guide comprises at least one drive shaft interconnectingsaid guide rings.
 40. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30,wherein the gripping mechanism comprises collets arranged to engage anupset at a shoulder with a tubular, and a collet drive arranged to movethe collet radially with respect to the tubular or upset; and whereinthe collet is adjacent to the pad in the axial direction.
 41. Thedrilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the grippingmechanism comprises one or more drive cylinders each having an internalwedge profile which, on relative rotation, moves the pads radially tocontact and grip a tool, and wherein said guide cylinder includes a portfor the pad and a port for the collet.
 42. The drilling apparatus asclaimed in claim 30, wherein the gripping mechanism comprises colletsarranged to engage an upset at a shoulder with a tubular, and a colletdrive arranged to move the collet radially with respect to the tubularor upset; and wherein the collet is adjacent to the pad in the axialdirection; and wherein the collet drive and the pad drive areinterconnected.
 43. The drilling apparatus as claimed in claim 30,wherein the apparatus comprises a pressure chamber and two grippingmechanisms including an upper gripping mechanism arranged to engage atubular or upset above the pressure chamber and a lower mechanismarranged to engage a tubular or upset below the pressure chamber; andwherein said gripping mechanisms are snubbers.
 44. The drillingapparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the gripping mechanismcomprises seals arranged to act on a tool joint upset immediatelyadjacent to and above and below a blind ram or valve that segregates apressure chamber into two parts; and wherein the pads and seals arearranged to contact an upper upset and the apparatus comprises a lowergripping mechanism having grips and seals arranged to contact a lowerupset while leaving space for an open blind ram or valve between themwhen a tool joint is connected.
 45. The drilling apparatus as claimed inclaim 30, wherein the gripping mechanism comprises collets arranged toengage an upset at a shoulder with a tubular, and a collet drivearranged to move the collet radially with respect to the tubular orupset; and in which the collets and the pads are held in place by akeyway or ridge in the drive cylinder and are releasable by anadditional rotation of the drive cylinder to facilitate inspection andreplacement, being as they.
 46. The drilling apparatus as claimed inclaim 30, further comprising a jack arranged to lift the grippingmechanism relative to a blind ram or valve or of the blind ram or valverelative to a lower gripping mechanism to provide separation to inspectthe gripping mechanisms; and wherein the lower gripping mechanismcollets are configured to support a tool joint box upset shoulder beforethe collets of the upper mechanism are closed and lowered to interferewith a tool joint pin upset shoulder; and wherein the collets provide afail-safe support for the tool joint upset, such that the collets of thelower mechanism cannot retract until the drill string weight is takenoff the collets and the collets of the upper mechanism cannot beretracted until the snubbing force is removed.
 47. The drillingapparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the gripping mechanismcomprises collets arranged to engage an upset at a shoulder with atubular, and a collet drive arranged to move the collet radially withrespect to the tubular or upset; and wherein the pad drive and thecollet drive are related by differential gearing; and wherein thedifferential gearing comprises planet gears arranged such that movementsof planet gears can alter the rotary relationship between the drives.48. A method of operation of a drilling apparatus comprising a tooljoint gripping mechanism arranged to rotate at the same speed as a drillstring and comprising gripping pads arranged to move radially relativeto a drill string tubular or upset, and a drive to drive the padsradially relative to a drill string tubular or upset, wherein the methodcomprises the steps of: driving the gripping mechanisms so that the padsand the collets rotate at the same speed as a drill string, andretarding or advancing the pad drive to radially move the pad relativeto the drill string.
 49. The method as claimed in claim 48, wherein theapparatus is fixed to a rig floor and an extension sub in the drillstring enables a bit to drill on during connections with a predeterminedweight on bit; and wherein the apparatus is mounted on a hoist to allowvertical motion during connections and therefore enable continuousdrilling and continuous tripping if required on new rigs.
 50. The methodas claimed in claim 48, wherein a pin upset is moved away from a boxupset by the depth of the pin plus a distance to allow blind ram orvalve to close and to allow mud to flow into the drill string below andout of a tubular above.